ARE ALL THE CHILDREN IN?
The darkness falls; the wind is high;
Dense, black clouds fill the western sky;
The storm will soon begin;
The thunders roar, the lightnings flash,
I hear the great round rain-drops dash,
Are all the children in?
They're coming softly to my side,
Their forms within my arms I hide,
No other arms are sure:
The storm may rage with fury wild,
With trusting faith each little child
With mother feels secure.
But future days are drawing near;
They'll go from this warm shelter here
Out in the world's wild din.
The rains will fall, the cold winds blow,
I'll sit alone and long to know
Are all the children in.
Will they have shelter then secure,
Where hearts are waiting strong and sure,
And love is true when tried?
Or will they find a broken reed,
When strength of heart they so much need
To help them brave the tide?
God knows it all; His will is best;
I'll shield them now and yield the rest
To His most righteous hand:
Sometimes the souls He loves are riven
By tempests wild, and thus are driven
Nearer the better land.
If He should call me home before
The children go, on that bless'd shore
Afar from care and sin,
I know that I shall watch and wait
Till He, the keeper of the gate,
Lets all the children in.
—Unidentified.